The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed the six states with the highest cases of malpractice in the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). According to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Anambra and Lagos states recorded the highest cases of examination malpractice.

Anambra topped the chart with 14 arrests, while Lagos followed with nine arrests. Thirteen incidents of impersonation and one case of mismatched photographs were recorded in Anambra. In Lagos, suspects were apprehended for impersonation, spaying, and illegal possession of mobile phones during the exam.

The other states with high cases of malpractice are Delta with eight cases, Kano with seven cases, and Kaduna and Rivers with six cases each. Oloyede disclosed that 80 examination malpractice suspects across different states are being interrogated.

The JAMB registrar also revealed new fraud techniques developed by applicants, including biometric manipulation, use of combined thumbprints between candidates and impersonators, double registration, and attempts to substitute oneself with an impersonator. These, he said, were done in collusion with some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers.

In one instance, a blind candidate hired a blind undergraduate to sit the examination on his behalf. Oloyede emphasized JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy on exam malpractice and promised to continue innovating to maintain exam credibility.

“We have 39,834 unreleased UTME results, with 1,426 under scrutiny and processing. Out of these, 96 candidates’ results were withheld due to exam malpractices,” Oloyede said. He added that four CBT centers were delisted and blacklisted due to technical deficiencies and substandard performance.